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Busoni's is a concerttranscription, one that even outdoes the original in popularity
It's understandable that people here are a bit piano-centric, but I think that's going a bit far. Outdoes the original in popularity amongst pianists perhaps...
oh, forgot to mention that the global concertpractice learns that the Bach-Busoni Chaconne has more stageings than the d-minor violin partita, and that in my honest opinion the overpowering effect of this masterpiece can very well be done by 10 fingers on a keyboard, and with 2 feet at that!
"The recording is taken from a Piano Roll (grooves on a sheet of paper that get fed into a special piano) that he recorded. The recording that you hear was then made many years after he died - which is why it is such high quality. But it is still, technically, him playing it. "
Both transcriptions loose Bach, IMHO, almost completely. I love this piece, but having listened to it all my life on the violin, I cannot chase its searing beauty from my ears as it gets morphed from its glorious strings origin to a percussive transcriptional assault. Sorry Busoni..
Listen to Leonid Kagan making the strings resonate with your own heart molecules. Up there with Nathan Milstein. MOst recently I heard a gorgeous rendition by Arnold Steinhardt from the Guareneri quartet.
The Chaconne is for strings what the Goldberg variations are for piano. Inimitable..
Both transcriptions loose Bach, IMHO, almost completely. I love this piece, but having listened to it all my life on the violin, I cannot chase its searing beauty from my ears as it gets morphed from its glorious strings origin to a percussive transcriptional assault. Sorry Busoni..
Something about Andromaque being boiled in oil... after lunch of course, with apologies to W. S. Gilbert.
Well your point is well taken, and thanks for the YT links. No doubt you are correct, the violin original has a searing intensity and focus which in some sense transcends any attempt at transcription, sort of like arranging the Beethoven 9th for a thousand kazoos.
But yet... Bach has to be unique in mainstream classical composers in that his music always seems to survive transcription, and in the right arranger, Bach will not only thrive, but glisten in its new format! I find this amazing.
Busoni's arrangement -from a pianistic standpoint- is utterly magisterial, and is very special for me. But a lot of hacks got into the act, and Siloti, whom I generally admire, made some really vulgar arrangements of Bach for the 'modern' piano.
Remember too, that Bach transcribed Vivaldi -we all love the 4 harpsichord concerto (better than the original I might venture?)- and also the A minor concerto for organ. That one has been transcribed for piano a number of times, none the better.
But a lot of hacks got into the act, and Siloti, whom I generally admire, made some really vulgar arrangements of Bach for the 'modern' piano.
Which Siloti transcriptions do you dislike?
I've heard quite a few and have music to almost all of them and think they're excellent. His transcription of the Chaconne is similar to Busoni's but with somewhat less notes, less doublings, and somewhat simpler. Something like Busoni minus what some(not saying I fall in this category) find as somewhat bombastic or over Romaticized writing. Siloti's transcription of the e minor Prelude from the WTC is extremely popular in recitals and was a favorite encore of Gilels.
Bach-Siloti: Choral Prelude in e minor(I would rate this perhaps the most beautiful Bach transcription at this technical level of difficulty): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6UzRVSgyA4
But a lot of hacks got into the act, and Siloti, whom I generally admire, made some really vulgar arrangements of Bach for the 'modern' piano.
Which Siloti transcriptions do you dislike?
Well I was thinking of Soloti's 'concert arrangement' of the Bach Fantasy in C minor BWV 906. It's a delightful piece (de Larrocha made a wonderful recording) which stands so perfectly on its own, yet Siloti blissfully fills it out with a lot of octaves and other double notes, presumably to make it more effective on a modern piano.
But a lot of hacks got into the act, and Siloti, whom I generally admire, made some really vulgar arrangements of Bach for the 'modern' piano.
Which Siloti transcriptions do you dislike?
Well I was thinking of Soloti's 'concert arrangement' of the Bach Fantasy in C minor BWV 906. It's a delightful piece (de Larrocha made a wonderful recording) which stands so perfectly on its own, yet Siloti blissfully fills it out with a lot of octaves and other double notes, presumably to make it more effective on a modern piano.
So what do you think of some of the Siloti transcriptions I posted?
Since the "transcription" you mentioned is of a non organ keyboard work, I would call it more of an "edition". Siloti made a lot of these very heavily edited(meaning some note adding/changing) pieces for many different composers. They'd rarely be played with his additions today but give good insight into the pianistic thinking of Siloti's time. Interestingly enough, most of his what I would call his transcriptions are simpler and have less notes than those by Busoni. His transcription of The Swan is far simpler and to my mind better than the very elaborate Godowsky version.
Bach-Siloti: Choral Prelude in e minor(I would rate this perhaps the most beautiful Bach transcription at this technical level of difficulty): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yu06WnXlPCY
Bach-Siloti: Choral Prelude in e minor(I would rate this perhaps the most beautiful Bach transcription at this technical level of difficulty): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yu06WnXlPCY
Siloti is no match for Busoni, just a epigone(-ish)
I don't think anyone thinks Siloti is a match for Busoni, but that's not the point. His transcriptions are still very good and he was a great pianist, so I think harsh criticism seems silly and negative.
But a lot of hacks got into the act, and Siloti, whom I generally admire, made some really vulgar arrangements of Bach for the 'modern' piano.
Which Siloti transcriptions do you dislike?
I've heard quite a few and have music to almost all of them and think they're excellent. His transcription of the Chaconne is similar to Busoni's but with somewhat less notes, less doublings, and somewhat simpler. Something like Busoni minus what some(not saying I fall in this category) find as somewhat bombastic or over Romaticized writing. Siloti's transcription of the e minor Prelude from the WTC is extremely popular in recitals and was a favorite encore of Gilels.
Bach-Siloti: Choral Prelude in e minor(I would rate this perhaps the most beautiful Bach transcription at this technical level of difficulty): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6UzRVSgyA4
I happen to adore the bminor prelude and at one time had a live recording with Gilels.
"And if we look at the works of J.S. Bach — a benevolent god to which all musicians should offer a prayer to defend themselves against mediocrity... -Debussy
"It's ok if you disagree with me. I can't force you to be right."
who doesn't like that one, it just doesn't compare to the Chaconne, it really doesn't, and Busoni maybe copied Liszt, but he outdid him, yes he did, and Siloti, well, good try, Kempff, Wilhelm that is for the younger viewers, also did a good try, and so many others, but for me, as to Bach transcriptions: 'Feruccio Busoni da Empoli' is the man! Only Rachmaninoff could be mentioned in this respect, although he put too much of himself in the partita, but who cares...
